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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28206885">The State of Nature</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanficfriends/pseuds/fanficfriends'>fanficfriends</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Happy Birthday [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>French Revolution RPF, Les Misérables - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, M/M, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Philosophy, Post-Revolution, The Cult of the Supreme Being, Time Travel, True Love, capitalism strikes again!, i did a lot of research for this fic and now its 3 am and im Tired, lots of angst about what it means to be culturally significant, selling the Revolution™ out</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:15:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>898</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28206885</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanficfriends/pseuds/fanficfriends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The famous revolutionary has found his love. But does he know what it means for his past? Or for their future?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Maximilien Robespierre/Jolly Green Giant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Happy Birthday [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066082</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The State of Nature</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was 1794. England, America, and various other Western countries were proceeding apace with colonialism. In all likelihood history was continuing to happen in various places that weren’t Europe and her colonies, but caring about that hadn’t been invented yet. Except issues with the once-smooth progress of colonialism had arisen in one place. France had recently decided to hold a revolution. France had decided to cut off the heads of many, many people. France had renamed all the days of the year after grains. France had brokered a middle ground between removing all the atheists and removing all the Christians and decided everyone would start worshipping the Supreme Being. And by France we mean Robespierre. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Some of these aforementioned events had proven to be a bridge too far for the French people, and they declared their desire to remove Robespierre from office. With a guillotine. As he trembled up to the scaffold, he was troubled by a vision of two men in strange clothes, one with very odd skin, arguing amongst themselves, but he shook it off. He lay his head below the guillotine, waiting for his fate, repenting not at all for the many he had killed, when a glow appeared before him, and the Supreme Being spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are too important to history to be lost. You shall be brought to the future so that we may understand how our world has come to be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you’re real? I was right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There is no time. The blade is falling.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I was rig—” He was interrupted by a sensation of metal cutting into his neck, and the sudden disappearance of all that he knew. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It may be worthwhile to note here that Robespierre was only partially right. The Supreme Being did exist, but it was not the only being. Nor was it omnipotent. In fact, it was particularly inept at time travel. It had intended to bring him to Paris, 2400. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robespierre landed in a stupendously large building, the sort that he had often dreamt of building as a monument to himself. It was arranged majestically, row after symmetrical row, forever and forever, clearly a monument to the Eternal Reason of Man. He began to wander, dazed by this beauty. He found food, so bounteous that he could only assume that it was a sacrifice to the Eternal Reason of Man, as presided over by the Supreme Being. Yet much of it did not appear to be food at all, and was painted with brushstrokes that would rival those of the old masters. He picked up a cylinder of metal, so perfect that he could hardly believe it could have been made by human hands, and stared at the fine work on it. The picture was of something between a man and a tree, the true union of Nature and Mankind. It was emblazoned with helpful explainers, which he could not understand, but attempted to pronounce.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No sooner had he said it than a husky voice beside him said, “Hello.” He glanced at the source. The man had appeared. It was perfectly natural that a god should appear when one said his name. The man was easily twice his height. His skin was the color of the freshest, brightest spring. His torso was covered in leaves, as the nymphs of ancient Greece may have dressed themselves, not knowing sin, innocent of all. He was crowned too with leaves, befitting of Achilles</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why should you come here before me, as in a dream? You are beautiful,” said Robespierre.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I am. You too: you have eyes that sparkle with the fervor of justice. I can imagine what great things you have created.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robespierre blushed. Here was a man who would show gratefulness, who would not forget about the grandeur of his works. He took the hand of this prelapsarian creature. The giant smiled a warm, gentle smile that melts away the cares of the world. The giant bent over, and —</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“WAIT!” Someone else rushed into the room. Robespierre looked. It was ………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>SAINT-JUST!!!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you could do this! You’re betraying me! And the ideals of the revolution! At the same time!” Saint-Just shouted. Even after all that he had done, the life’s water spilling out of coffee-colored orbs stirred Robespierre’s heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sold Danton out!” cried Robespierre in anguish. The giant embraced him more closely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But the Revolution did not betray you! And yet here you are, with this, this creature—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A true Adam!” Robespierre cried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t the Revolution decapitate him?” demanded the giant!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is a symbol of all that is wrong with the world, all that is against our principles! It is the servant of men who accumulate wealth and power and hurt those with none! It works for the First Estate!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robespierre gripped the giant’s arm tightly. “How could … these horrible things be true? You are man in nature, and yet…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The giant wept softly. “I was created for this. I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin was I conceived. I have no choice but to serve.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robespierre gazed into his deep, viridescent orbs. “You do not deserve this. We must find a way to free you, and all people of the Third Estate!” They kissed passionately, while Saint-Just wept at the beauty their future promised. ⚜</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>AN: Not gonna fix the accidental implication that Adam was killed in the French Revolution.</span>
</p>
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